Alphabet Bits
by Melodic.Melody
Summary: Out of all the stories of her and Naruto, Sakura particulary liked the ones where she could use each letter of the alphabet to assist her; collection of oneshots - Naru/Saku
1. A is for Allergies

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: A is for Allergies (1)

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Friendship

Pairing: Naruto/Sakura

Setting: Naruto Shippuuden

Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'. I don't even own my house for Pete's sake! D;

_A/N_: Welcome, thanks for stopping by. c: This is the start of a 26 drabbles/story collection, all revolving around the shipping Naru/Saku while following the alphabet; each chapter representing a letter. Always had this little idea in the back of my head after reading one about some other anime, finally got to start it (And since Naru/Saku is my favorite pairing, I thought I might as well do them. o .o'') Well, enjoy!

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Alphabet Bits

**A is for Allergies**

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Chrysanthemums.

Ever since Naruto could remember holding the tiny flower in his hands, he always knew of his body's automatic reaction to it. The red rashes, the itchy dry skin that was once perfectly normal before the touch. And not to mention his nose that completed his look to transform him to something of Rudolph the Reindeer's reincarnation. It was never the sight to see Naruto go into his allergic reaction at the smell and touch of them.

However, lately he couldn't help himself.

The way she held the flower in her hand as she caressed the soft petals with her delicate pale hands. The way her emerald eyes outlined the flower, observing it as those eyes soon would sparkle from being engulfed by it's mere beauty. And, Naruto's favorite, the way her lips tugged to form a genuine smile and she would put it in a vase, placing it right in her apartment so everyone who entered could see. They could all see Naruto's gift for her. More importantly, they could witness the love he had for his friend. Even the thought of seeing Sakura like that made Naruto's heart feel light and carefree. Anything to make her happy was what he always lived by.

After chatting with Ino at the flower shop, he carefully picked up the bouquet of chrysanthemums and placed it in his arms. He was happy Ino had come to the rescue for him, making sure she wrapped the bouquet well so that no part of the plants would ever touch Naruto. Ino was always there for Naruto when it came to Sakura. Now he just needed to make sure he didn't breathe in their scent - actually, not even breathing that much. He didn't want Sakura to know of his allergies; he thought it would ruin his chances of ever being with her. To say he was allergic to her favorite flowers - no, no. It would not happen. She could never find that out. Naruto grinned. And he'd make sure she never would! He now took confident strides over to Sakura's house, puffing out his chest from his inflated ego that went to him at that moment.

Naruto stopped his walk as he faced Sakura's door. If the flowers he held weren't inches away from him, he would have taken a deep breath to calm himself. But since that was out of the picture, he shook himself and knocked on the door loudly.

"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming," yelled a muffled voice inside. After a few hustles and bumps from the apartment, Sakura managed to open the door. Naruto straightened up and noticed her hair wet, possibly from just coming out of the shower. Her eyes held shock.

"Naruto, what are you - oh!" she gasped and dropped her sentence as she saw the chrysanthemums in her friend's arms. Her face automatically turned into merriment, as she graciously took the flowers, which Naruto willingly gave her. He did a mental sigh happily in his mind. She beckoned him into her apartment.

"Why did you bring me more chrysanthemums?" she asked, but then she blushed a bit in embarrassment. "I mean, not that I'm complaining, for I do appreciate it and all." She held the flowers in her arms tightly. Naruto grinned as he took a seat on her couch in her living room. "Eh, I had to replace the old ones that I gave you; they looked dead." Sakura raised her eyebrows at her comrade.

"Oh? Naruto, have you been watching me in my apartment? I don't remember me ever inviting you to my apartment recently," she pointed out accusingly, as Naruto laughed innocently. "No no Sakura-chan, I would never!" Sakura rolled her eyes, not bothering to push the subject. Same old Naruto. But the poor man gave her free flowers, she hardly would be the one to complain. "Stupid," she laughed under her breath at him as she looked down at her upper torso where she held her precious flowers in her arms. Naruto's eyes softened and his heart fluttered in midair as she did routine with her flowers, and she lightly breathed in and out.

"Naruto, this batch of chrysanthemums are especially sweet. Here, smell!" she ran over to him and, despite Naruto's pleas with his hands over his face, placed the flowers right against his nose, touching his skin. He silently exploded on the inside, already feeling the tingling sensation under his skin, and he started to sneeze constantly. Sakura quickly took the bouquet of flowers back. "Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto nodded as he continued to sneeze, placing his hands over his face and tried to make her not see his rashes that were crawling up against his arms. "Y-yeah, I have to go to the bathroom!" His opportunity came as he pushed past Sakura hurriedly and found her bathroom, slamming the door shut. He went over to the sink, splashing himself with the cold water before appearing at himself in the mirror. His nose was bright red as his eyes were almost bloodshot. Naruto looked at his arms, seeing the red blotches all over him. He groaned and mentally cursed himself. How was he going to get out of this one? He heard footsteps come from the door. Faint knocking. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing Sakura-chan, just reliving myself!" Naruto tried his best to make whissing noises with his mouth to try and indicate to his friend he was indeed going to the bathroom, but Sakura wasn't convinced. He cringed. Was she ever?

"Naruto," she shouted and Naruto winced at the intensity, "open up this door or I will personally kick it right into your face." Naruto shuddered, always seeming to forget Sakura's possession of incredible strength and unwillingly opened the door. Upon seeing Naruto in his condition, Sakura quirked her eyebrows up and poked his nose in a motherly like fashion. "What's this?" Naruto looked at the ground and sighed.

"Well, I guess my cover's blown. You see, I'm allergic to your favorite flowers; chrysanthemums. I get like this," he gestured towards his face and arms. He didn't dare look at Sakura straight in the eye and tried to look everywhere else. "I'm sorry." He looked at the ground, ashamed. The girl he loved just realized he couldn't be near the thing she desired. It broke Naruto up inside.

"Naruto, you don't have to feel sorry for doing something that you can't control." Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. "But, if you're allergic, why would you go all the trouble to buy me them then?" Again, Naruto sighed, his heart racing as the truth was coming out to her so fast.

"Have you ever seen yourself when you receive them? It's a wonderful sight to see. They make you happy. So you know," he spoke the rest but then muttered the words, "it makes me happy." Sakura turned scarlet for a moment. "Really?" Naruto nodded bashfully. She looked deep into thoughts for a few moment before Sakura suddenly burst out into giggle fits, even gripping the wall for support. Everything about the situation was purely hilarious to her. Naruto frowned as she looked at him once more, the giggling turning into full blown out laughs.

"Sakura-chaaaaan," he whined, "it's not funny." Yet again he gestured to his skin and how it probably wasn't going to turn to it's normal state for awhile. Sakura wiped away a tear from her eye, silencing the laughter. Quickly but surely, the medic nin gave him a quick punch in his stomach. She rolled her eyes as he doubled over in pain. "Idiot, it's not the _only _thing that makes me happy." Her words were scolding, but as Naruto was clutching his stomach, he swore he could see Sakura's eyes gilsten in delight at him.

The next day, Sakura would tell everyone that chrysanthemums were no longer her favorite flower.

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**Fin**

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_A/N_: Hope you enjoyed, stay tuned for next chapter! c:


	2. B is for Baby

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: B is for Baby (2)

Rating: K+

Genre: Humor/Friendship

Setting: Naruto Shippuuden

Disclaimer: All original characters were made and created by Masashi Kishimoto.

_A/N_: Hey, another update, thanks to all who reviewed last time! I've decided that I'll update this collection once a week, I hope people don't mind. c:

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Alphabet Bits

**B is for Baby**

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She had to admit, it was weird seeing Naruto as a father figure; for most of Sakura's time with him back in the days seemed as though he was as immature as the four year old they were watching. But that didn't mean that she was enjoying this mission any less. Sitting on a chair, she watched as Naruto was on her apartment's floor, playing with their task; a small boy by the name Hideki.

Sakura couldn't believe that watching a child was an actual mission, despite the fact that it was only considered D rank. But ever since coming back empty handed on their meet-up with Sasuke, Tsunade assigned Team 7 just those; boring and usually tedious missions while hoping to find Sasuke's trail.

_"Your mission is quite simply," Sakura remembered Tsunade stated as Sai, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi stood around her desk. "A recent attack on Hidden Rock Village has left quite a blow." She eyed them all before continuing. "Because of us wanting to form an alliance with them, Konoha is helping them recover. Many people were killed, meaning that many children are now orphans. We're sending out ninjas to find foster homes for them, but in the meantime, you and other teams will be watching at least one." They all nodded unison, except for Naruto, who furrowed his eyebrows._

_"Oi, old lady! I'm Naruto Uzamaki; future hokage. My ninja skills shouldn't be wasted on babysitting some kid in diapers -" Sakura interupted him by firmly landing a fist on his head, as he slithered to the ground in pain. It was for his own good; better the lump on his head from Sakura then a concussion by Tsunade. Fortunately the Hokage seemed to not hear Naruto as she looked at documents and waved them off to get started on their mission._

Unfortunately to Sai and Kakashi, this wasn't a team effort. It was expected of Kakashi, who always showed up late to any mission they've been on since she could remember. However, she had no idea where Sai was and soon she just assumed he would turn up as soon as he found and read a book on children psychology. So to her, it wasn't even Team 7 on a mission, but more like an old married couple as Naruto and her watched over the boy by themselves.

Sakura giggled as Hideki he tried to unsuccesfully attack Naruto. He was incredibly small for his age and fit on top of Naruto's stomach as the genin fought back with Hideki, tickling him senselessly. She had to admit, he was doing a great job entertaining the small child.

"Hideki, be nice," the medic nin warned, raising her eyebrows as Hideki began to pound lightly on Naruto's body. The boy looked up and smiled, innocence spread throughout him as he laughed, "Yes mommy, I'll be a good boy." Sakura leaned back in her chair, smiling lovingly at the name Hideki had given her; mommy. She didn't know exactly what possessed him to call her that, but he had done it ever since they had received him. Sakura didn't mind however. It felt good to know that someone thought of her as a mother to them.

"Aw, it's okay Sakura, it doesn't bother me," Naruto pointed out and ruffled the boy's hair. Hideki grinned and proceeded to grip Naruto's golden locks of hairs and pull on them playfully. The two continued at it again. Sakura debated whether or not to join them in their game. It reminded her of when she was Hideki's age when her father and mother would all pretend to be ninjas, wrestling and giggling throughout the night. Someday I'll have a family of my own to play with, she told herself. Perhaps even all of Team 7. That is if girls weren't weirded out by Icha Icha Paradise, a socially awkward man, or a nutjob dreaming of being a Hokage. Though, with Naruto's ability to play with Hideki, Sakura noted that he'd probably turn out to be a great father if he ever did have children. If his obliviousness didn't land him losing his children while grocery shopping that is.

Naruto had the wind knocked out of him as Hideki laid a fist in his abdomen and the ninja rolled over to try to make the little boy have no access to his body. "Gosh Hideki, I don't know how any of your siblings managed to survive with you!"

Hideki stopped playing with Naruto's hair and looked at the ground at the words. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, as Naruto could see the distress in the little boy's eyes. "I don't have any siblings," he murmured, his face drooped low. Naruto looked in horror as he noticed tears forming in the corners of Hideki's eyes. He panicked, and clumsily threw himself over to the boy and placed him in his lap. Hideki was shaking and his cries soon became rather loud.

"N-no don't cry! Having siblings isn't everything. I mean, I didn't have any siblings growing up and look how I turned out!" Naruto tried to reason, but this only made Hideki sob more. Naruto jumped from the boy's reaction and tried to hush him. Sakura chuckled at this. Naruto looked completely bewildered with the boy in his lap. To Sakura it was quite the sight to see. Perhaps he wasn't father material like she had thought. The girl soon rose up out of her chair to go help her teammate when she suddenly heard the wails of Hideki slowly calm down. Naruto had begun to rub the little boy's back while cooing into his ear how everything was alright. And everything _did_seem alright, as Hideki ceased his loud sobs. Sakura soon found herself sitting back on her chair, looking at the two in front of her. Hideki's cries were now reduced to soft sniffs from his nose. Naruto returned his teammate's gaze and gave her a thumb's up.

The medic nin's lips tugged to form a smile. They looked like a family. She started to daydream. _Her_ family.

Naruto still continued to rub circles on the small boy's back and soon was a little more calmer with Hideki in his lap. After a few minutes of silence, the ninja patted the boy's head. "Hey, maybe one day you'll have siblings to play with!" Hideki's head whipped up and looked at Naruto. His facial expression turning into sheer joy. "You really think so?" he blubbered out. Oh the wonders of having a younger playmate! It was everything the child could possibly ask for.

He peered over Naruto and looked at Sakura, who was still watching them. Hideki grinned before his gaze turned back on Naruto's. He whispered in the teenaged boy's ear, "Do you think mommy will give me a baby sister?" Naruto's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, almost choking out the words, _Of course not! Sakura would never! _However, the look on Hideki's eyes as they shined brightly in hope made the genin keep his mouth shut and recollect his thoughts. He couldn't - wouldn't - crush a boy's heart. Something Naruto didn't want to do was to make the poor child cry again. But how could he reply to it when Sakura was only mere inches away from him? More importantly, with her fists of steels only feet away? He looked at his teammate sitting on the chair; she didn't appear to have heard the comment, let alone paying attention to her surroundings. Sakura seemed to be lost in a daze as she stared at the two, as though deep in thought. She didn't seem like she'd hear any comments. Naruto grinned. It was the perfect chance for him. He could make this work.

"Well, I'm sure mommy would love to! Why, maybe her and I could discuss _both _of us putting forth effort of giving you that baby sister!" Naruto exclaimed as Hideki giggled in his lap, clapping happily. The ninja smiled down at the boy, proud of his job well done in making him joyful. Hideki pointed at Sakura, who still was lost in thoughts; not aware of anything being discussed by the two.

"So you and mommy are going to make a sibling for me?" His eyes sparkled and grinned from ear to ear. When Naruto nodded, the child cheered.

With Sakura, the two boys were both right; she was in a daze, day dreaming while she stared off. The future seemed so close to her now then they were when she was twelve. First kiss, love, marriage, kids, all these thoughts were brought up during this mission in watching Hideki. She couldn't wait for it all. To be a head medic nin, falling in love, and making baby sisters for Hideki with Naruto -

Wait.

Sakura lost her glaze in her eyes and blinked, coming back to reality. What? The girl only heard the last of Naruto and Hideki's conversation and she replayed over in her head until she could comprehend the words. _Maybe her and I could discuss both of us putting forth effort of giving you that baby sister!_ Suddenly her blood began to boil and she felt her throat conjuring up venom. She gripped the table arms tightly, gritting her teeth.

"Naruto, how dare you tell Hideki flat out lies!"

Naruto almost jumped from her voice and his heart flew out of his chest from the realization she had heard what he said. There were only three words that rang in his mind at that moment: He was screwed. "S-Sakura, I was just joking around -" His words held little meaning for the medic nin, who already managed to get out of her chair with a raised fist, aiming straight towards Naruto's head. He barely managed to dodge the punch as he let Hideki off his lap, scurrying across the floor and near the dinner table. Sakura the bull came charging after him, eyes acting like kunais and boring into his back. Hideki sat straight up on the rug, watching the two.

"I think mommy's angry."

"Yes, mommy sure does has a temper," Naruto replied, running around the table to avoid his Godzilla of a teammate. Sakura hissed.

"I'll show you a temper Naruto!" _Crash_. The table chairs flew over on their side. _Slam_. Soon, the whole table was knocked over on it's side, leaving Naruto with no barrier. _Grip_. "Sakura-chan, have mercy!"

Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura didn't appear to have heard his pleas. While the genin got the snot beat out of him, Hideki giggled at the scene.

"I think daddy's in trouble..."

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Fin

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	3. C is for Comfort

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: C is for Comfort (3)

Rating: K

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Setting: Naruto Shippuuden; after Chapter 404

Disclaimer: All original characters were made and created by Masashi Kishimoto.

_Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't read up to manga chapter 404!_

_(If you haven't, there are many scanlations on the internet that you can find.)_

You've been warned. c:

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Alphabet Bits

**C is for Comfort**

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It was funny how the weather in Konoha always seemed to be affected how the day was going for Sakura and her teammates. She noted that in the back of her head as she walked through the light drizzle, the rain clouds predicting a much heavier downpour later on during the day. This marked for a very mournful day, though the rain had been there for weeks. Ever since the death of Jiraiya, the heavens seemed to go into a dark atmosphere and weep. Sakura loathed the past storms, despite being upset - for she too had a fondness for the perverted sannin. She was looking forward to the sun; both literally and figuratively.

She was tired of seeing Tsunade try to well back the tears as she did her job, done with people looked down at the mere mention of him, exhausted from tears that seemed to leave permanent trails down her cheeks of the deaths of people she once knew. Most of all, the medic nin was tired of seeing her best friend lock himself deep within his apartment. Clutching her plastic bag at her side, she finally came to a hault. Sakura looked at the building ahead of her, noticing the ominous dark clouds that lingered over it. Any other time, it would have appeared funny as well to her, but this time her emerald eyes had no amusement flicker in her irises. Instead, they held worriment for her teammate. For her partner in crime. For her friend.

"Naruto," she whispered solemnly to herself, "you better be okay today." She stepped inside of the building, pacing up the flight of stairs before placing herself in front of her friend's door. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself. When she strung up enough courage in her body, she knocked faintly on the door. "Naruto?" Her words were soft - caring. However, the only answer she received were the light rain drops hitting against the brick walls. Sakura felt the eerie silence. Despite having tried this many times each day to get Naruto to even reply to her visits, the quietness still continued to bug her each time. She was used to Naruto's apartment being loud and cheery, his reply usually opening up the door widely. With a big grin, he'd cry out "Sakura-chan!" as though he hadn't seen her in years despite having seen her hours ago; to Naruto, it was always a wonderful surprise to see her. She remembered his bear hugs he'd give her when she'd visit, his welcomes and gestures into his apartment. The laughs and howls at jokes, sometimes even playful punches in the mix. The medic nin fiddled with her hands as the cold air slithered along her frame, missing the warmth that Naruto and his surroundings once had.

Hearing no sign of Naruto, Sakura sighed; but would not give up. Her friend was in no condition for her to just shrug away his sorrow. She needed to see him - or maybe - it was him that needed to see her. She knocked on the door again. "Naruto, please open up. I even managed to bring you some dinner today. Ayame says she hasn't seen you in awhile at the ramen shop, I figured you haven't been eating, much less coming out of your apartment." She shook her plastic bag filled with food contents as though that would make him burst open the door or scream out happily at the mention of food. He did neither of those things, but after a week of not hearing Naruto, Sakura finally heard his missed, now appreciated voice.

"Please, just go away Sakura," his voice was raspy as his words hit Sakura. She winced. No delight in his voice, no joking tone, and most of all, no 'Sakura-chan'. Just Sakura. Just Naruto genuinely wanting to be alone. With the pain that strapped onto her, she suddenly had the urge to go back home and try again tomorrow. She almost could feel the prickling of tears in her eyes as she knew that's what she had been saying for the past week of visiting Naruto. 'We'll try _tomorrow _Sakura.' 'He'll come through _tomorrow_.' _Tomorrow_. She hastily wiped her wet eyes on her sleeves. Her hopes for a better tomorrow always decreased each passing day as 'tomorrow' never helped Naruto's problem. Grimly she was about to move down the hall and out the door when she finally came to the senses of the outside world.

She heard the wind batted the building, knocking over garbage cans from outside. Not only that, but the rain dops as far as Sakura heard had gotten bigger in size and increased to a full shower as they too splashed onto the roof of the building. There was no way Sakura would manage to get outside without having to face the dire consequences; being soaked, flown over from the heavy winds, and even catching a cold later on.

"Naruto," she scuffed on his door again, her voice pleading, "With the conditions outside I can't go home until the storm passes over. Please let me in."

"Sakura -"

"Please, I promise I'll go as soon as it leaves, or even it looking like it's settling down," she tried to reason. Sakura swore she heard an exasperated sigh, and about a minute of shuffles from the inside of the apartment, the door creaked open. She almost gasped at seeing matted blonde hair being revealed from the crack of the opened door. Slowly the creak in the door became bigger until Naruto came into full view. His eyes looked down at the ground meekly. Sakura noticed the bleakness of them, the pasty ghost complexion of his face that made the dark bags under his eyes stand out. No brightness. No shine. No life. This didn't seem like her teammate.

"Come in," he mumbled before going away from the door with his slouched physique moving towards his bed. As he crouched on the edge of the mattress, Sakura cautiously moved inside before almost tripping over a pile of wrinkled clothes left carelessly on the floor. Looking around she noticed that the pile of clothing items were one of many that seemed to scatter across his room. Sprawled around with Naruto's dirty clothes were empty bottles, cans, and countless of food crumbs. Sakura looked disgusted as she held in her breath from the musty smell that surrounded the room.

"You sure didn't spend time away from society by cleaning," she joked lightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere between them. Naruto only grunted in response, his back facing away from her. Sakura felt the awkward feelings brought up again as she walked near her friend and placed the bag of food she brought on the bed next to him. "Would you like to eat?" She gripped her teammate's shoulder and she noticed his muscles stiffen at her touch. He flinched from the contact.

"No thanks," he whispered hoarsely and he turned his head to look away from her. Hurt, she let her hand slowly come back next to her side. It would have been complete silence between the two if the echoes of the rain weren't pounding on the building. Sakura stood there, looking at the boy. Sakura was not used to this new Naruto, whether or not he had reasons to be the way he was now. She desperately wanted to reach out and shake him, as though that would make him return back to normal. She found herself sitting quitely next to Naruto. The medic nin eyed him, his body language screaming how much he wanted to scoot away from her. Her gaze looked at the laundry filled floor before finally breaking the long silence.

"Naruto, I know that the death of Jiraiya -" The boy next to her winced at the name. "- is painful. I'm not going to lie to you and say I know what you're going through - because I don't. He was important to you. I don't expect you to be happy and cheerful at this time." Though it was hard for her to not see Naruto that way. Sakura picked up her head to look at her friend. She hadn't realized how seeing him upset made her upset as well. You couldn't be happy when things weren't okay. Naruto wasn't okay. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"But," she continued, "you shouldn't stay cooped up in your room. Right now you need friends to help you. Me, Sai, Kakashi, everyone in Konoha will always be here as your friends. We all have shoulders that we will offer you to cry on." She paused. "Please, let us help." No response came from the boy as he continued to look at the ground. Sakura fell silent, fighting the urge to cry. She bitterly told herself how tearing up would help neither of them. But she realized that her presence would not help at all. The boy was unresponsive, no matter what she would say. It was useless. She sighed.

"Well, it looks like the storm has passed," she lied as she could still hear the rain and the strong winds ripping through their village. "Goodbye Naruto." Sakura stood up slowly - deafeated. She didn't care if it was still pouring heavily. She just wanted to leave Naruto alone. _Again_. She shook her head from the tingling sensation coming to her eyes and took a step forward towards the door.

"You don't understand," the voice behind her choked out. She stopped cold in her footsteps and turned her upper body around. Naruto still continued to stare at the wall across from him, his lips the only thing that moved; not even his eyes moved to look at her. "You just don't understand," he repeated again. Sakura fully faced the genin, dumbfounded. "What?"

"I refuse to let people see me like this. I've seen the old hag and Konoha tear up. Hell, I've seen Gambunta and the other toads unable to talk about him. Not to mention you as well. Too many are already upset. If we all cry who will be the one to pick the other ones up?" Sakura could tell he was gulping back tears. "I have to be strong. I can't let them see me cry. Don't you understand now?" A pang was sent to his teammate as she slowly lowered herself to sit next to him. They sat there as Sakura tried to put together her words that bottled up inside of her, all screaming to get out.

"Everyone cries, it doesn't make them any less of a person if they do." She gripped her friend's leg and the boy raised his head to finally look at her. She tried to smile. "I can't count how many times you were there to comfort me when I cried." She wrapped her arms around her friend and gave him a tight hug. It all happened so fast as in a matter of seconds Naruto had gripped Sakura's shirt and balled it into his fists as she could feel the hot tears roll down his cheeks onto her neck. Any other time she would have thrown him across the room in heated rage. But this time was different as she let his well needed cries continue as she held him in an embrace. This time the tables were turned; Naruto was the one that needed her.

And, just like he had done in the past, Sakura would be there to comfort him.

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Fin


	4. D is for Drinks

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: D is for Drinks (4)

Rating: T

Genre: Humor/Romance

Setting: Naruto Shippuuden

_A/N_: I can't apologize enough for the lack of updates - you guys probably thought I abandoned this. But I didn't! I just never got a moment to sit at the computer and write. -sobsob- But thanks for coming back, or if you're new, thanks for dropping by! c: Hope you enjoy this chapter, but as a note: We'll just pretend in Konoha, Sakura and Naruto are old enough to be allowed alcoholic beverages. To make the story more funny and logical. :P

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Alphabet Bits

**D if for Drinks**

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"Sakura-chan -"

"Ugh, Naruto, do you have to talk so loudly?" The pink kunoichi gripped her head as she leaned on the bathroom counter. Her head was spinning, her mouth dry as the desert, and every part of her body hurt. Naruto rushed inside the bathroom to her.

"S-sorry Sakura-chan," he lowered his voice. "I brought you a wet cloth and green tea is on the stove as we speak." He handed her the cloth and she took it, wiping off her face and mouth. "Naruto," she croaked, her stomach churning, "I have some questions." Naruto, sensing her nausea, lifted up the toilet seat - for precaution. "Uh, shoot Sakura-chan."

"What's wrong with me?" she called to her friend as he walked out of the door.

"You are experiencing a hangover." He returned to the bathroom with a cup in his hand. "Your first time I'm guessing, huh?"

Sakura shook her head in confusion. Sakura - and a hangover? The two would have never entered her mind together. She tried hard to recall last night, but most of it was a blur. The girl put her hand on her forehead, closing her eyes to think better. "H-hangover? How did that happen?" She finally managed to blabber out. Naruto chuckled as he handed her the tea.

"Well, you see Sakura-chan..."

_"How about one beer and a margarita for her," Naruto pointed to Sakura sitting next to him. His date. Well, at least to Naruto. Sakura on the other hand told him was not so much a "date" but a celebration of New Year's Eve. They were here to celebrate as two friends celebrating the new year. But Naruto could still dream, correct? The bartender nodded, walking away to prepare their drinks. Sakura, who was looking in horror at the drunkards rolling on the floor, whirled around in her chair to face her friend._

_"Naruto," she hissed, "you know I was uneasy about coming to a bar in the first place. Now you're getting me a margarita!" The bartender came back and placed the two drinks carefully onto the table._

_"As long as you don't end up like him," Naruto pointed the closet drunkard on the floor to them, "you'll be fine Sakura-chan. Besides," he grinned, picking up his frothy beer, "it's New Year's Eve! Don't be such a sour puss - hey!" Droplets of a margarita landed in his lap. Sakura smirked devilishly as he looked at her accusingly. _

_"What? I was just toasting to the New Year ahead of us." She smiled as she took a sip of her sweet drink, and Naruto soon followed with his._

_However, Naruto soon would realize despite her precautions of drinking, Sakura sure drank heavily with no regrets. Sitting quite drunkenly hours later, Sakura talked obnoxiously, swaying in her chair as Naruto frantically tried to keep her from falling off of it. "So den, Tsunade told me." _Sip_. "That I soud go to get her a drink!" _Sip_. "I mean." _Sip_. "After all I do fer her!" _Sip_. "A medic nin, a s'hunin." _Sip_. "A well known kicker-asser." _Sip_. "All to beh used as her slafe!" Naruto almost jumped as she slammed down another glass. "Oh bartender, another one!" She giggled as she pointed to her empty bottle glass. Naruto coughed._

_"Sakura, don't you think you've had enough -"_

_"Quite you dolt, I could still kick yer ass even if I am as drunk ash a sailor," she growled as she snatched her new drink the bartender placed down. Naruto shrank back slowly in his seat, being silent. She really was turning into the new Tsunade. After chugging down her margarita, she wiped her mouth and pointed at her male friend. "So Naruto," she hiccuped, "I told you my biggest sefret - do you 'ave any?" Naruto meekly put his hands on the table, contemplating the scene that laid before him. He laughed nervously. With all the drinks his friend had, she probably wouldn't even his secret the next day.  
_

_"Well I don't know -"_

_"Oh sphit it out! Bartendy, another drink!" Naruto shifted in his seat, and blushed a deep red._

_"Well you see, Sakura-chan, I've had this feeling inside of me for awhile. This feeling that tugs at my very special place -"_

_"Special place? Naruto, chu ain't talking about jour thing -"_

_"No no, oh god, no! My heart, Sakura, it's my heart these feelings are tugging at. When we first met eachother, you were everything - smart, sarcastic, funny, a bit of a feminist, but beautiful inside and out. Now of course when we were small -"_

_"Small? I was taller den chu little man - "_

_" - it was only a mere crush," Naruto tried to ignore Sakura's interruptions. "But now, as we grow older, I feel like we've not only matured ourselves but our relationship with eachother. I don't like blabbering, and I'll get the point. What I'm trying to say is -" Naruto was soon interrupted again by his drunken date._

_"You love meh don't chu?" she hiccuped behind her glass. Naruto was taken aback by her blunt words and almost fell off his own chair. But soon he nodded, turning a crimson red. "Y-yes, I think I do." Sakura nodded, taking a sip out of her glass, as though thinking with whatever left of her drunken mind could comprehend. "I see, I see." After awhile, his friend suddenly slammed down her drink and furiously stood up, almost knocking the table over._

_"You! I see your game!" she growled in her drunken state. Naruto shrank in his chair, taken aback. "W-what?" Sakura slammed down her glass again, shattering it. "I get chur game - let's bring the little girly to a bar, get her drunk ash a skunk, confess 'your luff' to her and then take advantage of her!" Her finger was almost in Naruto's face, as he himself tried to sink even further down into his seat. _

_"S-sakura-chan, it's not like that, I-I swear!" He put his hands up defensively._

_"Don't chu Sakura-chan me! Did chu honestly thunk I was that kind of girly? Chu pig!" Almost on top of the table in rage, she stumbled off of it. Naruto watched in horror as she gripped the table with her hands. At least the good news to Naruto was that in her drunken state she couldn't do anything _**dratistically**_ dangerous -_

_"Oh god, Sakura-chaaaan!" Naruto scrambled out his chair as Sakura flew their table across the room, people running out of the way. Her intoxication only seemed to exemplify her strength. Naruto quickly made his escape to dodge her rage, Sakura storming off after him._

_"Naruto, get chur ass back 'ere! I'll teach chu!"_

"And that's how I got this lovely battle scar," Naruto laughed as he pointed to one of his eyes, a lovely black and blue rim surrounding it. Sakura put her hand to her throbbing head. "Oh, uh, wow." Her stomach was doing flips as she felt the affects of last night coming back up for a visit. She threw herself at the toilet before all the margaritas met with the toilet. Naruto rushed to her side, holding up her pink hair away from her.

"Yeah, you're rather vicious when you're drunk." He rubbed her back to help as she finished her vomiting. Sakura wiped her mouth as Naruto placed her green tea in her hand. She sipped it, and asked more questions. "So why am I at your apartment?"

"Well, just as you hoisted up a tree to throw at me, you passed out. I couldn't just leave you there," Naruto laughed at the scene replaying in his mind. Sakura merely nodded. "Well," she began, "I could sock you for letting me have a margarita in the first place." The boy backed away. She chuckled. "But since you're taking care of me in my state, I guess it evens up. I'll let it slide." Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh geez, thanks I guess." It was silent for a moment. "Hey, Sakura-chan?" She eyed the boy.

"Hm?" He grinned. "You never gave me a sober reaction to my secret that I told you." Sakura rolled her eyes and she felt her stomach churning again.

"Naruto," she gripped her stomach, "I don't think telling people we confessed our love to eachother while barfing in the toilet would be a pleasant tale, so let's just drop it for now." Sakura placed down her tea and rushed over to the toilet again. Naruto grinned, satisfied with her answer as he went over to help his hungover date - who probably will never have another drink again.

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**Fin**


	5. E is for Earmuffs

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: E is for Earmuffs (5)

Rating: T

Genre: Friendship

_A/N_: This one is a bit short compared to others, so I apologize beforehand. E was a very tough letter for me to think of! (I actually had to go and use my dictionary and look up all the words that began with e, lulz). And I just want to say thank you all who are reviewing/putting the story on alert/favorites. It makes me happy. You guys are amazing. c:

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Alphabet Bits

**E is for Earmuffs**

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One may think snow in Konoha never happened, but for everyone who lived there knew that during the winter it snowed quite a lot. It would snow until every grass was covered with the white flakes or snowed until Iruka declared it impossible to have class with his students that day. And with the snow, came the cold. Chilling cold. Sakura shivered as she tried to pull on her coat tighter. She could no longer feel her face as the wind kept hitting her and the bushes that surrounded her. Tsunade had yet to give her a medical jutsu that would fix fingers or toes that fell off from the cold.

_Naruto, hurry up_, she thought loudly in her head. _You're so slow_. Despite it being cold enough for snot to turn into icicles, Naruto still insisted on training. Yes, she was starting to realize her friend was an idiot. But she soon found out she was more of an idiot for actually agreeing to help him. Sakura gritted her teeth as another chilling breeze touched her exposed face. When Naruto finally came along the snowy path, the pink haired girl almost wanted to jump out and yell at him, with words like 'It's about damn time!' and 'Idiot!' with a loud _smack!_ But she managed to hold those feelings and crouch down lower into the bushes. She grabbed a kunai from her pocket.

It seemed to Sakura that Naruto didn't have the slightest idea where she was and he looked around. With a flick of her wrist, Sakura's kunai swiftly came from her hiding spot and towards Naruto. The dumbfounded male noticed the kunai before it was too late. It hit him square in the shoulder and his friend in the bushes nearly cheered for catching him off guard. She soon stopped doing cartwheels in her head as Naruto poofed into a cloud.

She cursed. _It was just a shadow clone! So where the hell is the real Naruto -_

"Guess who!" A pair of hands wrapped around her face and Sakura gasped in fright. Her body went into instinct mode. She grabbed the pair of hands, pried them away from her face before she flung the enemy yards in front of her. She saw the familiar flash of orange and yellow as she witnessed her friend land in the snow on their back. Sakura cringed as his landing made a large dent in the snow.

"Ow! Sakura-chaaaaaaan!" Naruto whined as wobbled up to stand on his feet. "I was just playing with ya'!" Sakura huffed at the boy.

"Well it's your own fault - you scared me!" She came out from her hiding spot and went towards him. She helped him pat off the snow on his outfit. "You finally found me though, I guess my hiding place was pretty good, huh?" Sakura stuck her tongue out at her friend. Naruto shrugged.

"Not really, I found you within five minutes," he grinned. His friend, however, was not so amused. "W-what? How? And why didn't you come sooner then, you idiot!" A bump was graced on his head as Sakura put her fist down. Naruto rubbed his head.

"Oh, well, I got distracted - "

"Naruto!"

"It was the ducks! They had to be helped crossing the icy stream!" Sakura rolled her eyes. Typical Naruto. She poked her friend in the ribs, not satisfied. "How did you find me? I thought I was camouflaged well." Which was indeed true. She was sporting an all white outfit, perfect to blend in with the snow. She also made sure no one could sense her chakra. Sakura just couldn't understand how Naruto could find her.

"Your ears," he answered simply. She blinked. "My what?"

"Ears," Naruto repeated. "They're as red as a tomato. It's pretty easy to identify red amongst white snow. They must be cold or something." He laughed and Sakura immediately put her gloved fingers to her ears. They hurt to the touch and she could figure that they were indeed extremely cold. She grumbled to herself as they made their way back to town.

She told herself she'd show Naruto as days passed of their training. But no matter what, Naruto always found her. By the end of the week, she wanted to cut her ears off.

"It's okay Sakura, if it wasn't for your ears being bright red everytime we go out, I wouldn't be able to find you at all!" Naruto exclaimed as they sat at the ramen place. Sakura merely huffed at his response. This was he fifth time he told her that; the fifth time being defeated. "Just make sure you disguise every part of your body - including your ears! A ninja has to be able to make sure they're not noticed," Naruto told her between bites of food. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"So says the person that wears obnoxious oranges."

"Hey!"

* * *

She'd have to go train in an hour with Naruto. Sakura would make sure that in that hour she would find something to cover her ears. To make sure that Naruto would fail at finding her. The pink kunoichi was determined to win. She rushed around her house, trashing her room to find anything. Finding nothing, she abandoned her room for closets. She shut and opened doors violently, getting more frustrated as she found everything but earmuffs. She sat on a couch and sighed.

"I could always just use pillow covers," she mumbled to herself. "I'd look like something out of Dumbo, but at least it'll cover my -"

"Sakura!" a feminine voice called and the girl rushed to the sound. Her mother was near the door, holding a box in her hand. "This is for you," she placed the box in her daughter's arms, with eyebrows raised. "And a note. A secret admirer?" She handed Sakura the note as the kunoichi rolled her eyes at her mother. She looked at the letter.

_Sakura-chan,_

_I thought you might need these before we go out. I tested them out for you - boy are they sure warm!_

_Naruto_

Sakura grinned and began opening the box, excited to see her new earmuffs. Now Naruto will never be able to find her -

"...in my pair of neon orange earmuffs," she trailed off as she held up the fluffy orange earmuffs from the box. Comfy? They looked like it. Warm? They could be. Able to disguise her in the white snow? No. Sakura sighed. _Just like Naruto_. _Great intentions, but always fails to deliver. _She looked at the clock and realized it was already time to meet Naruto. With one last look at her obnoxious earmuffs, she put them on. She rolled her eyes while grinning, rushing out of the house to begin a day of training.

"Sakura-chan! You're wearing your earmuffs! You like them?" The girl looked at her friend, whose eyes seemed to sparkle. Not to mention his grin that became a mile long. As though her wearing his gift made him genuinely happy. _God Naruto, you're so oblivious_. She chuckled.

"Yes Naruto, I love them. Thank you," the pink-haired girl replied and she too grinned at him. She could see her friend faintly blush.

She had to say, even though Naruto was still able to find her, Sakura's ears never once turned red with her warm, fuzzy earmuffs on.

* * *

**Fin**


	6. F is for Freak

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: F is for Freak(6)

Rating: K+

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Setting: Kiddy Naruto World!

_A/N_: Eh, I'm a horrible person, I feel like I rarely update. -sobsob- Forgive me, yes? D: Hope you enjoy, I'm trying to practice on angsty stories, cus those are definitely not my strong points. (I'm such a happy person that it's hard to write of people being emo! D: ) Practice makes perfect, correct? c:

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Alphabet Bits

**F is for Freak**

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_Freak._

The more rain that pounded against his exposed skin, the more the word racked in his mind.

_Freak. Freak. Freak_.

The six year old Naruto clung to his knees tighter and he shuffled more closer to the tree he was sitting under. The branches and trees only protected him slightly as the rain continued to hit him. The Kyuubi holder, however, did not care. As long as he got away. Away from the hash, ruthless taunts. Away from the countless points and sneers. Away from them.

_Freak. Freak. Freak._

In truth he enjoyed Konoha when it rained. It meant less people would be out in the town; less people to snarl and cripple his deamnor. It meant being able to walk around down the washed up roads without the silent stares and whispers. Rain meant being fully alone - at peace. Being in the woods only ensured this. However, even being by himself didn't mean he never continued to think about the things that happened when he wasn't alone. Naruto could remember every detail of being bullied, every name he was ever called. Somehow, he couldn't help but think sometimes that they had every right to. Monster, demon, fiend - it was all true. The little boy gripped his stomach where the seal laid. He was all of those - it was the inevitable truth. And he hated himself for it.

"One day," he mumbled through gritted teeth, "I'll show them all. I'm not just a freak."

Soon he was lost deep in thought as the rain kept pouring down. Naruto didn't plan on going home anytime soon. _It doesn't matter_, he thought grimly, _it's not as though anyone's home to worry where I am. _It was as though he was completely cut off from the world. Or so he thought.

A noise caused the little boy to jump, obviously surprised from a sound of life near him. He scrambled up to his feet and focused on the noise. It came in quite sudden bursts, like someone trying to - unsuccessfully - stifle the noise. Like sniffles. Like someone crying. Naruto peered behind the tree cautiously. Who would be out here so late? He was surprised at the answer.

A little girl, no older than Naruto himself, was curled up beside another tree behind him. She had obviously been sobbing, as she lifted up her pink mane of hair to try to wipe away her tears. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably. Raindrops formed on the leaves above her and dripped downwards, covering her with droplets. She didn't seem to notice her wet form as she continued to cry.

Naruto grimaced at her form and he soon found himself walking slowly towards the girl. He was curious-- no normal person sat in the rain crying; unless you were him, but no one was even close to being like him. As he walked against the mud filled ground, the girl peeped up from her bangs and whimpered, moving closer to the tree.

"Please go away," her tiny voice squeaked, "You bullies have called me every name in the book, nothing you say will make me feel any worse." She gripped her knees tighter and she put her head down as her mangled hair covered her face. Naruto stopped, not caring if he was standing in the rain getting soaked.

"Y-you think I'm here to bully you?" The girl lifted her head up.

There was a bitter tone in her mouse like voice. "Well aren't you? Aren't you going to call me ugly, poke at my huge forehead, pull at my abnormal pink hair, tell me I was born a freak of nature?" Naruto stiffened. That word again; freak. He looked her over, barely fathoming the idea that this - this _normal_ girl - would be made to believe she was a freak. He figured only someone like him, a disgrace to Konoha - a monster, should be called cruel things. But not her. He felt an unbelievable amount of pity for her.

He walked closer to her despite her moving back against the tree trunk even more. Inches away from her, he kneeled down in front of her. She cringed as he pulled back her pink mane away from her face. "No, you aren't a freak," he mumbled with his words, "I mean, look, underneath your hair you have pretty emerald eyes. And your forehead, well, it _is_ rather large, but it's in a cute kind of way." As her sniffles began to decrease, he continued on. "Your pink hair, well, everyone has brown or blonde hair these days, so it's a nice change to have hair that's different. And you're so small, I bet a lot of fat people envy you. No, you definitely aren't a freak of nature."

The little girl looked up at him and managed to squeak out, "You really think so?" Little Naruto nodded, smiling softly. "If those guys think you were a freak, then they have yet to meet me." He stroked her hair, wet and in knots. Her shivers and tears soon faded as he continued to comfort her as the rain began to slowly stop. When she appeared to calm down, Naruto began questioning her. "What's your name?"

"Haruno Sakura."

"Ah." Silence. "So Sakura, how did you end up here?"

"Well, I was with my mommy when some other kids came to tease me and soon I lost sight of my mom. Even though I tried to tell them I could't find my mom, they still continued to to bully me, so I ran and ended up here. But now -" her shoulders began to shake again and the boy could hear her begin to cry "- I'm completely lost in these woods and I have no idea how to go back home." At hearing this Naruto stood up and little Sakura looked up at him. He offered her his hand.

"I may not be much of a guide, but I promise I'll take you back home before bedtime," he proclaimed in a determined voice.

"Really? You mean it?" Naruto nodded at her. Forming a smile, Sakura gripped his hand with her small ones. Hand in hand, the boy guided her through the woods as the rain ceased. It would have been quiet if it was anybody but Naruto, who happily told Sakura all his jokes and stories as they found their way out of the tree filled terrain. She in return giggled throughout the whole walk and the boy smiled in delight of having a person enjoy his company. Accepting him.

And before Sakura knew it, she was in the arms of her mother in front of their house as both mother and daughter cried in happiness. Her mother kissed her wet, dirty child and held her close. Naruto watched them from a distance with a half heartedly smile. He was glad that she found her way back home. But feeling as though he had just made his very first friend, he now had to let her go. That was the destiny of someone like him he figured, and he walked away grimly from the scene.

Suddenly, a small hand tugged at his arm, and he turned around to see the little Sakura. "T-thank you," she blushed. "You were a real friend. You're kind, caring, and you even cheered me up. If you really were a freak like you said, you wouldn't have done those things. So you shouldn't believe them. You're not a freak of nature." Naruto soon found himself grinning from ear to ear and she gave him a small hug before walking back to her house.

As she got to her door, Sakura quickly turned around. "Wait!" she cried to the boy walking away. "I don't even know your name!"

"Naruto Uzumaki: Future Hokage! That's all you need to know!" He shouted back, waving before running off. She giggled at his response, remembering the name. "Naruto..."

* * *

As many years passed, the boy could feel the rain pouring down on and next to him. He had grown bigger, taller, stronger, and Naruto grinned as he walked on through the woods. He recalled how he used to come here as an escape from Konoha. But his grown up self came there today for a total different reason. Finding his reason, he called out.

"Eh! Sakura-chan!" The pink kunoichi looked in Naruto's direction, grinning. Sitting underneath a tree, she waved as he ran closer. "Hello yourself Naruto." He came to a halt and panted, putting his hand on the tree trunk for support.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! Where the _hell_ have you been?"

A smack was graced on Naruto's features as Sakura placed her fists to her. "That's no way to talk to a lady," she stuck out her tongue and Naruto merely rubbed his red marked face with a pouty face on. "Besides, you know I aways come out here when it rains." She leaned back and watched the rain pour down. Naruto grinned. "To think of me, right? The day where I - your ninja in shining armor - saved you?" In place of the smack came a punch to Naruto's cheek and he doubled over. Sakura huffed, a tint of pink coming on her face.

"N-no, I was just...I-I was thinking - you said you were looking for me?" Sakura changed the subject. Naruto, regaining composure, nodded. "Yeah, Tsunade says the village wants to invite us to a celebration on our behalf for our latest completion the mission." Sakura laughed. "Oh?"

"Yes. There's ramen involved," he sang. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course." She noted that the rain finally stopped. "Well, I guess I'm done sitting around here. Let's go." Naruto scrambled up and stretched out his hand to her.

"So, it's a date?"

Sakura looked up at her friend, and she suddenly saw a younger Naruto before her eyes; offering the mangled, teary eyed small Sakura to walk back home with her. She snapped out of the memories, now seeing her grown up Naruto, staring at her with the same determined face she had been so keen on remembering as time passed them. She smiled warmly, taking his hand. "Not in your life, lover boy," she laughed as he sulked in disappointment. Hand in hand, Naruto guided Sakura out of the woods. Just as he did many years ago.

Even though no one considered them as freaks anymore, they still considered eachother the best of friends.

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Fin


	7. G is for Gross

Alphabet Bits

Chapter: G is for Gross(7)

Rating: K+

Genre: Humor/Romance

Setting: Naruto Shippuuden

_A/N_: Sorry for the lack of an update. (Updates in general, heh.) Enjoy chapter 7! c:

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Alphabet Bits

**G is for Gross**

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"W-what? Tsunade, you've got to be joking!"

From her piles of papers, the Hokage peeped out from over them, looking at her apprentice. She shook her head. "I'm afraid not Sakura. So, are you accepting the proposal?" She could hear Sakura give out an exasperated sigh.

"This can't possibly be an actual ninja mission! "

"It most certainly is. People who live nearby the place are getting quite ill from the fumes coming from it. It's turning hazardous and you need to fix it," Tsunade went back to her paperwork. After not hearing the door slam, she again looked up to find Sakura staring her down with her arms crossed. "Giving me death glares isn't going to get the job done any faster Sakura," the Hokage chimed brightly, and Sakura finally groaned, stomping out of the Tsunade's office in defeat.

Meanwhile Naruto was in his apartment, digging though his refrigerator. For the most part it was empty, but when you're a genin ninja, you couldn't afford to go and buy a lot of food. He barely had enough money to go to the ramen shop, which was his number one food priority. He gripped a milk container in his hand.

"Is this expired milk?" The blonde opened it and sniffed. He shrugged; it seemed good enough, or maybe that was him just being extremely thirsty. "Oh well." He chugged it down anyways. Suddenly, a knock was heard from his door. Naruto placed his milk container on the ground next to his refrigerator and bounded towards the door. He peeped through the opening before flinging the door back.

"Sakura-chan! What a wonderful surprise, wanna go to the ramen -" His greeting was cut off as his face was met with towels. Sakura stepped in as Naruto fumbled with the cloths. He stared down at them. "W-what is this?" A thump was heard, and Sakura dropped her bags of cleaning utensils down. She huffed and walked around his room.

"No wonder Tsunade sent me here! This place is a pig-sty, how do you manage to even breathe here?" Naruto stared at his pink haired friend as she crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Granny Tsunade sent you here?" He pouted, hoping that Sakura would have visited his apartment on her own will. Not because baa-chan forced her there.

"Yes, Tsunade said that your place is receiving complaints. She sent me here to find out what's causing people _down below your apartment to get sick,_" the pink kunoichi glared at her friend, "and I think your whole apartment is the cause!" Naruto's back was against the wall.

"Ah ah, m-my apartment isn't that bad -"

"There's bags of leftover ramen sprawled out in your room," Sakura started.

"Oh, well, I do get hungry -"

"You still have yet to wash your sandals from our last mission that was in the marshes."

"It's hard to get mud and weeds off of them I'll have you know!"

"I can't even tell what color your floor is with your hampers of dirty laundry, or your walls that are starting to cover up in unknown grime."

"...Okay, I get it, you don't have to continue -"

"And food goes _inside_ your refrigerator. Like this milk," Sakura picked up the milk container Naruto had left. However, she stopped and began examining the milk - Naruto behind her sobbing over how cruel she was to him. She turned to look at him, shaking the milk carton. "Naruto, this milk is about as old as our ninja career, you seriously kept it for this long?" Naruto's insides churned, most specifically his stomach. Sakura kept staring at him, and her friend coughed out an answer.

"I-I was just about to throw it out before you came anyways." The medic nin rolled her eyes at his remark, grabbing a large trash bag out of her cleaning bags and throwing the milk in. She threw a cleaning bag at Naruto, who tumbled over as it hit his chest.

"Tsunade told me to solve the problem, and that's to clean your entire apartment. And you're going to be helping me," she poked Naruto's nose as her friend gave her a look of horror.

"Sakura-chan, I don't know how to clean!" Sakura smirked.

"Trust me, I know. However, if you don't want to, I could always make you into a mop." Before Sakura could even ball her hands into a fist, Naruto viciously began scrubbing the walls. So began their mission to clean up Naruto's horrid apartment. They scrubbed, chased, washed, yelled, cleaned, punched Naruto's head, and threw away miscellaneous items for around an hour. Though, it always seemed as though Sakura was interrupted by a certain blonde genin.

"Sakura-chaaaaaan! How do you wash these windows?" Naruto whined to his friend on the other side of his room. Sakura sighed, dropping down the bags of laundry and walked over to him, pushing him over lightly.

"Here, you just dip it in the soap water and make circles on the window without trying to make streaks. Like this," Sakura demonstrated as Naruto stood right behind her, watching. "You know Naruto, this is the fifth time in the past hour that you've wanted me to help you out." She glared at him. "Is this your way of getting me to do all the work?" Naruto shook his head violently.

"No, I assure you that I'm just an idiot," he laughed and the chuunin rolled her eyes and went back to her lesson on how to clean the window. On the inside, however, Naruto was grinning mischievously. This was his perfect chance to get close to Sakura without her banging her fists on him! He'd play "dumb", Sakura would fall for it, and show him how to do work he already knew how to do while he checked her out- his plan was full proof! Her back was facing him and he was inches away from her strawberry pink hair. He almost swooned, taking in a deep breath of her shampoo. His face was soon met with soap as Sakura shoved the cloth in his face.

"Your turn," she remarked as she stood a few inches behind Naruto. The boy was nervous when he felt Sakura's eyes on him, but managed to steady himself and began to wash the windows. His friend nodded at his work. "That's good. Now just keep doing that for all of them." Sakura was about to turn around on her heels, but as she took a step back, she stepped on something slippery. She tumbled backwards, and her automatic instinct made her cling her arms to the closet thing to her.

That thing was Naruto.

They both gasped, Naruto feeling hands latch onto his arms and pulling him back. He turned around to see Sakura and him both falling and in an instant they both collided with the floor.

"S-sakura-chan, are you okay?" The pink kunoichi opened her eyes, only to find wide blue eyes staring down at her. She could feel Naruto's nose just barely touched her own nose, and both of eachother's hands clinging to the other one's arms. They were way too close, Sakura concluded, as she felt Naruto's body heat radiate off his own body to her own. Maybe that was why she found herself growing hot. But that didn't explain why her chest was pounding.

On the other hand, Naruto concluded that God must love him and that this was his way of telling the boy that this was destiny. This was the perfect moment and situation Naruto ever found himself in with Sakura. His heartbeat raced as he tried to recall a cliche'd romance scene. Thinking about it, he closed his eyes and puckered his lips obscurely, slightly leaning closer.

"Sakura-chan, you had me at hello - hmph!" His lips were met with Sakura's palm and she slammed his head upwards. Even though she was still beet red, she managed to sit up and grip Naruto's shirt collar.

"You pig! I try to help you and this is how you repay me? By sexually harassing me?"

"N-n-no, Sakura, I wasn't trying to, it was all the banana peel's fault!" Naruto quickly picked up the peel next to them and held it up to her. Sakura snarled.

"I bet you purposely placed it there so you could take advantage of me!" She flung the peel across the room and her fists tightened around Naruto who unsuccesfully tried to pull away. "I'll teach you of how to treat women!"

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaan!"

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**Fin**

* * *

_A/N_: Oh, those darn banana peels, always causing troubles. ;P


End file.
